Miss Peregrine’s Series Review

For some reason I thought I had done a review for all the books in the Miss Peregrine’s Series, turns out I was completely wrong. So welcome instead to my round up review of ALL the books in the Miss Peregrine’s series. I’m sure that’s what you really want. So on with the show. I have read these books over the last year and very recently finished the third and final installment. These books began so well, and I was really enjoying where they seemed to be going. I won’t spoil anymore of the review by saying any more, but I have to say it wasn’t as easy sailing as that.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children | Book one

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerising) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

The first book in the Miss Peregrine’s series, and I have to say it made an impression. I adored the characters and how all the plot points came together with the vintage photographs. It was well done, structured and thoroughly enjoyable. It was a brilliant introduction into a brand new fantasy world, and it grabbed my attention completely.

I loved the way the loops were described and also how everything ties together in the end. I do love this book, it was well written and well done. Each of the characters had their own part to play, and learning about all their peculiarities was probably my favourite part of the entire series.

My favourite character? Miss Peregrine to be sure, I loved the way she spoke to the children, the way she commanded their respect and the way she is willing to sacrifice her entire being for the children she looks after. She is as a character – awe-inspiring.

Least favourite character, this one almost hurts to get out. Emma. Urgh. She annoyed me so much throughout the entire thing, the constant comparison to Jacob’s grandfather. It made me feel a little queasy. I suppose it was a good way to show how the world works for the peculiar children.

I would have recommended you walked across water to get this series after reading this book. I can’t stress enough how well it was done and how much it left me wanting more.

Hollow City | Book two

This second novel begins in 1940, immediately after the first book ended. Having escaped Miss Peregrine’s island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London, the peculiar capital of the world. Along the way, they encounter new allies, a menagerie of peculiar animals, and other unexpected surprises.

Complete with dozens of newly discovered (and thoroughly mesmerising) vintage photographs, this new adventure will delight readers of all ages.

This one was enjoyable, and I can remember being in the book and really loving all the characters out in the real world and having to use their peculiarities to survive. I think this is where the photographs began to chafe massive holes in the story, not to a huge amount but it was a like an itch I just couldn’t scratch, there all the time and unable to do anything about it. Suddenly the story and the photos didn’t seem to be completely harmonious. It was a small niggling and it made the story slightly less enjoyable than the first.

However, I did really love the idea of them finding the different loops using the fairytale book. It was a lovely twist and it made the story all the more whimsical. Meeting all the different creatures and learning how they lived with their peculiarities. It was an interesting view of events and one that was welcomed.

Favourite character would have to be all of the peculiars, I don’t have a single favourite, I loved hearing about the different ways they used their powers. It was a lovely change of pace from being so main character centric.

Least favourite character would have to be Jacob. He began to annoy me, with his inward monologues. I kinda just wanted to smack him around his face and tell him to get a grip. But hey ho, he’s fictional and I will get over it.

In terms of recommendations, I wouldn’t say walk over water, maybe swim towards it or walk leisurely towards it? Wasn’t as great as the first but still a good read.

Library of Souls | Book three

A boy with extraordinary powers. An army of deadly monsters. An epic battle for the future of peculiardom.

The adventure that began with Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and continued in Hollow City comes to a thrilling conclusion with Library of Souls. As the story opens, sixteen-year-old Jacob discovers a powerful new ability, and soon he’s diving through history to rescue his peculiar companions from a heavily guarded fortress. Accompanying Jacob on his journey are Emma Bloom, a girl with fire at her fingertips, and Addison MacHenry, a dog with a nose for sniffing out lost children.

They’ll travel from modern-day London to the labyrinthine alleys of Devil’s Acre, the most wretched slum in all of Victorian England. It’s a place where the fate of peculiar children everywhere will be decided once and for all. Like its predecessors, Library of Souls blends thrilling fantasy with never-before-published vintage photography to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.

This was where it all went downhill for me. That nagging feeling about the photos and the story became more and more prevalent. In fact it over took the entire story and it just felt completely disjointed and a bit of a surprise if I’m honest. There was no run up to the whole Library of Souls plot line and I struggled with figuring out what it was that was actually going on. There was too much going on for this one book.

I was drowning in brand new information, and none of it seemed to fit in with the previous books. I just thought there could have been or should have had a slower build up to the ending. I was just disappointed with the way everything ended up going. There was none of the other characters, and that for me was the biggest problem with this book. I soon grew tired of Jacob and Emma.

My favourite character was definitely Sharon, he was the only one in the entire book who had a little bit of depth. It was a shame that the other characters didn’t have a bigger part in this book, but I’m glad that Sharon took a little bit of the sadness away. She was funny and well written. She was definitely a huge part of what made me keep reading this book and finishing Miss Peregrine’s series.

Urgh, least favourite character has to be Jacob. The angst was just too much to bear in this book. His internal monologues were boring and his relationship with Emma made me feel a little ill. I mean come on it was just gross to be honest. Ruined huge parts of the book for me.

After reading this one, I would say read the first one and leave the others, they quickly go down hill with little to no plot direction. I would just live and love the high of the first one!

Have you read this series? What did you think? Was the payoff worth it in your opinion?